Safe With You
by Kokoro Kakera HP
Summary: Someone is dangerously obsessed with Anzu - to the point of killing anyone who gets too close to her. Anzu x Seto. ***DISCONTINUED - FIC IS UP FOR ADOPTION***
1. Shivers

****

01 : Shivers

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP**

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:   
An idea hit me and I just felt like writing it out. I honestly was not very fond of the series itself and it wasn't until the last one came out (Egyptian arc) that I gained some interest in it. (I attribute this change mostly to the fact that there aren't so many darned card duels ::cough::30 minute advertisements for duel monsters::cough:: going on in the last season! **

Notes:   
San - used for respect i.e.: Sir, Mr., Ms./Mrs., etc...   
Sama - used for respect as well i.e.: Sir, etc...   
Chan - 'little' (not literally) used for friends, kids, term of affection as well   
Kun - used for friends   
Sensei - teacher 

And just in case some people aren't acquainted with the Japanese names:   
Anzu - Tea   
Honda - Tristen   
Jounouchi - Joey   
Shizuka - Serenity

* * *

_"Mine... You're mine and only mine..." _

"Stop saying that!" She cried, running as fast and far away she could from the voice. Her legs felt as though they weighed a ton each and she was quickly tiring. She couldn't stop though. 

"It's the truth and you know it..." The voice was placid and devoid of any form of distress. Just calm. 

And very much insane. 

"Help!" She yelled. "Somebody, please!" 

"I killed them all... all of your friends so that we could be together... Isn't that wonderful? Doesn't that prove how much I want you? Nobody will get between us ever again... ever again..." Heavy footsteps advanced terrifyingly quickly behind her. 

"Ah!" Her toe caught on something on the ground and she fell hard. Whimpering, she raised herself up into a sitting position and tried to get up, only to find that she couldn't move. Tears blurred her vision and she quickly ran the back of her shirtsleeve against her eyes to clear them. "Somebody!" She screamed desperately, sobbing because all of a sudden, she was helpless and alone. "Please!" 

"No one will help you, Anzu-chan... I'm the only one for you...the only one left..." Hands closed over her...

* * *

"Anzu-chan?" A small voice was calling to her, but she really didn't want to answer it, not at the moment while she felt so comfortable... 

"Nmnmph?" She mumbled, unable to form intelligible words in her current state. 

"Anzu-chan?" The voice came more urgently now, but she still ignored it, wanting to stay blissfully asleep. 

"Mnph..." She threw out a hand, not sure where it went but hoping that whoever was bothering her would get the message and leave her be. 

"Mazaki-san!" Anzu's eyes shot open and she quickly straightened up in her seat. Only to blanche in horror when she realized the back of her hand was pressed against the side of her teacher's face. 

_'Oh shi-'_   
"I'm so sorry!" She yanked her hand back and shrunk in her seat. "I didn't mean to-" 

"Mazaki-san." Her teacher's voice was deathly quiet. The students became hushed - some in fear and some in anticipation at what he would say next. "Do you, or do you not support the issue we've been discussing for the past..." He glanced at the clock. "Half hour?" 

_'...Crap.'_ Anzu tried to subtly look towards one of her classmates for help. 

"Mazaki-san, this is a question for you, not for any of your friends." 

Face burning, Anzu prayed that she'd answer correctly. "Yes." She said as confidently as she could. "I do." She hunched down in embarrassment when the class' laughter followed her answer. _'Not good... this probably means that I picked the wrong answer.'_

"Unless I was mistaken and you **were** actually paying attention," Uzume glared at her contemptuously from behind large, telescope-thick glasses, his small beady eyes becoming even smaller, "then I'm sure you'll agree when I say that you really _don't_ support teenage pregnancy and that your 'yes' was a mistake borne of a disoriented teenager waking up from a nap she shouldn't be having in the first place during quite an important class!" 

"Sorry Uzume-sensei." Anzu said lowly, sliding down into her seat as if to hide from her classmates' jeering hoots and looks. Unconsciously, she glanced to her left, where an acquaintance - Seto Kaiba of all people - sat. She quickly looked away when their eyes met. He looked thoroughly amused. _'Why'd you even look at him? You don't even know him that well!'_ Anzu scolded herself. She pouted. _'But it's not like I can help it if he's sort of good looking...'_ Mentally, she kicked herself a dozen times to rid herself of the thought. 

The sound of a familiar laugh made her stop feeling so annoyed with herself. 

_'Honda!'_ She glared at the brown-haired boy, baring some of her teeth at him. _'Jerk! Who laughs at their own friend!?'_

"You will stay here after class Mazaki-san and serve detention for this transgression." 

_'Noo...damn it...'_ Anzu inwardly groaned at her misfortune. 

"And you too Atena-san! You know that talking in class is not permitted!" 

"Yes Uzume-sensei, sorry..." Anzu blinked in surprise and turned her head back so she was facing the soft-voiced girl. 

"Shura-kun?" The girl shrugged and grinned sheepishly. 

"I was trying to wake you up."

* * *

"I'll be leaving for a few minutes. You three had better keep quiet." Uzume left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. The girls both let out a breath of relief. 

"I'm glad he's gone... when he's around, detention just seems that much longer." Anzu sighed, shifted so that she was facing in the direction her friend sat. 

"Ya, doesn't it?" Shura crossed her arms and rested them on her desk so she could use them as a pillow for her chin. "Hey, Anzu-chan, before he comes back, let's talk about something interesting!" 

"Interesting?" She raised an eyebrow. Her eyes darted towards the back briefly where another one of her classmates, Nato Juban - a rather buff and silent boy - sat. She'd looked away after catching him staring at her. _'I probably just caught him while he was just glancing my way... No need to be paranoid.'_ She shook away the shaky feeling she'd gotten. "With him back there?" 

"He's probably not even listening!" Shura said, waving her hand carelessly. Anzu shot one more nervous look at the boy. He was looking out the window now. 

_'Ya... I'm just paranoid...'_ Anzu let out a breath. "What do you want to talk about?" 

"Boys! Who do you like?" 

"Like?" An image of Yugi's other half, whom they referred to as _Yami_, flashed in her mind and she blushed. "A-ah... why do you want to know?" 

"Just curious." Black eyes blinked at her inquiringly. "Is it Honda-san?" 

"NO!" Anzu nearly choked at the suggestion. "He's a friend, that's it. I really couldn't see myself with him... he likes someone else anyway." 

Hn... Describe him to me then. You don't even have to tell me what he looks like." Shura grinned. "Since a description of one boy's personality can easily be mixed with another's. That way, you can keep him anonymous." 

"O-okay... Well..." She wondered where to start. "He's brave and really heroic at times... he's thoughtful and kind and handsome..." She sighed wistfully, cheeks tinged with pink. 

"A boy like that exists!?" 

Before Anzu could reply and verify that yes, a boy like that _did_ exist and she was smitten with him, the door opened and the two were forced to remain silent for the next twenty minutes until the end of detention.

* * *

"Crap, crap, crap, I'm going to be late..." Anzu ran as fast as she could, to Yugi's house, where the gang - consisting of her, Yugi, Jounouchi and Honda - had been invited, with the addition of Shizuka, to watch a movie. When she finally reached the house, she rang the doorbell and patiently waited for the door to open. She smiled brightly to the person at the door. "Hey Yugi!" 

"Anzu! Come in." He stepped aside to let the girl inside. "I'm glad you could make it. Honda told us about your detention." He'd tactfully avoided mentioning the fact that even he'd guiltily laughed a little after hearing it. Which turned out to be a good move. 

Anzu's eyes flashed. "He did, did he?" Yugi swallowed hard. Even Yami had been affected. That look in his friend's eye was dangerous. He prayed that Honda would act intelligently for once and placate Anzu instead of baiting her. "Honda..." She called as she walking into the living room where everyone else was. 

"Hey, if it isn't the rebel!" Jounouchi laughed. 

"Hi, Anzu-chan." Shizuka shyly greeted her politely from beside Jounouchi. 

"Heya, Anzu! Didn't think you'd be here, you know, with your rebellious ways and all - slapping the teacher and supporting teenage pregnancy... I was pretty sure you'd be under Uzume's watchful eye a bit longer." The girl twitched. 

"Why don't you come here Honda? To make up for my 'rebellious' ways, I've decided to personally make sure that you'll _never_ need to worry about causing pregnancy." Anzu said with a tight smile, cracking her knuckles. 

Yugi and Yami alike, cringed at the very thought of what she'd just insinuated. _'I believe this is one of those times where retreating is in our best interests, aibou.'_ Yami said from their soul room. Yugi agreed wholeheartedly with him and inched away into the next room. 

"Start begging for her forgiveness _now_ man, it's not worth it..." Jounouchi hissed, pulling Shizuka along with him as he shuffled after Yugi. 

Honda did the next best thing and bolted upstairs.

* * *

"She's sleeping." Yugi said dumbly, stating the obvious out of surprise. The girl's head had fallen onto his shoulder and as a result, he was paralyzed by nervousness and his face felt hot. He and Anzu were sitting on the floor, Honda having taken the couch to sit beside Shizuka. Jounouchi was on the other side of her. They'd all settled down somewhere in front of the television set for the movie, but only a few minutes into the film, Anzu had fallen asleep. 

"That's weird... she loves this movie." Jounouchi said. "Must be really tired to fall asleep right at the beginning of it." 

"Must be from all the excitement she went through today." Honda said absent mindedly as he snuck his arm around Shizuka's shoulder, only to have it viciously slapped off by Jounouchi. 

"Don't touch my sister!" 

"I don't think it's just from today..." Shizuka said with worry lacing her voice, completely oblivious to Honda and Jounouchi's mini squabble. "Look... she sort of has dark circles around her eyes... I don't think she's been sleeping very much." 

"Really?" Yugi, broken out of his blushy-daze by concern, leaned over to check on Anzu as well. "You're right... But what could be wrong?" 

"Why don't we ask her?" Jounouchi made a move to shake her awake, but was stopped by Shizuka's hand on his wrist. 

"Jounouchi! It's rude to wake someone up while they're sleeping! Wait until _after_ the movie!" 

"Oh... Oops." Everyone rolled his or her eyes.

* * *

"Anzu? Anzu? Hey, Anzu?" 

"Hn?" She opened her eyes slowly, raising her head from its previous resting place. "Yugi...?" She mumbled. "Sorry about sleeping on your shoulder..."   
_'Thank goodness I didn't drool all over it...'_

"Um, it's okay... The movie's over." 

"O-oh, what!?" She blinked and tried to clear her foggy eyes. "Already?" 

"Anzu-chan, can we talk?" This time it was Shizuka's voice. 

"Talk?" She said groggily. "About what?" She lifted her arms above her head to stretch, shutting her eyes as she did so. It was the only thing that kept her from noticing that all the male occupants of the room had their eyes on her chest. 

"E-erm..." Yugi coughed, looking away quickly so that the evidence of his blush would be hidden. "Anzu, we're just a little worried about you... You seem really tired. Have you been sleeping well?" 

"Augh... you guys... I just haven't been able to sleep very well at night, that's all." She yawned as she shook her head at their concerned expressions. 

"Ya, but why?" 

_/ "Mine... You're mine and only mine..." /_

Anzu stiffened. "I... just haven't." She lied. "Don't worry about it." She smiled. "The problem will go away soon and if it doesn't, I'll go see a doctor, okay? I don't think it'll come to that though." 

"Okay..." Yugi said unsurely. He still felt uneasy about just letting the subject go so easily, but before he could ask Anzu about the subject again, Jounouchi caught him in a playful headlock and asked for something to eat.

* * *

"Mornings... not good..." Anzu groaned as she opened her locker. Her head hurt and she didn't feel good at all. She'd had the same terrible nightmare the night before and had stayed up until morning arrived, too afraid to let herself fall back asleep. 

"Did you not sleep last night either?" Yugi asked beside her. The two had adopted a new schedule for when they could chat, as they were in separate classes now and couldn't see each other so often during school. 

"I slept a little..." She lied. She didn't want to worry her friend. He was just too kind for his own good and knowing that one of his friends weren't feeling well in some way usually caused him distress. Anzu didn't want that. Something fell into her hands as she took out her books for the day. "Eh? What's this?" She frowned and turned the envelope over in her hands. It had been sealed with a heart. 

"Hn?" Yugi leaned over so he could get a better look at what she was holding. His eyes widened. "This is a LOV-" Her hand coming over his mouth silenced him. 

"Not so loud!" She looked around to see if there was anyone nearby - perhaps her admirer making sure that she'd gotten the letter. But there was no sign of anyone. 

"Open it." Yugi said, excitement in his voice. She did as he asked, curious as well about what the letter would say. She carefully pulled off the red, heart-shaped sticker and opened the envelope. Pulling out the letter, she unfolded it and turned it slightly so that Yugi could get a look at it. 

_

Dearest Anzu-chan, 

_

I've watched you for what feels to me, like forever.   
You're perfect in every way and I want nothing more   
then to be near you all the time to feel that   
wonderful perfection... 

Sincerely,   
Your greatest admirer

"W-woah..." Yugi blinked. "This person sounds serious. Do you know anyone that would send you something like this?" He looked at his friend for an answer. "Anzu?" He frowned. "Anzu, you okay?" She suddenly looked very pale. 

"Huh? O-oh... ya, I'm fine." She put on a shaky smile. "Sorry, Yugi... I just... spaced out for a second... Side-effect of not getting enough sleep you know." 

"Is that really it?" 

Her head was pounding in a really unpleasant way now and it was harder for her to think of another lie to tell him. To her relief, the bell rang and gave her an excuse to leave for class. "Ah... the bell. See ya at lunch!" Anzu said quickly, smiling at him once more before departing. 

Yugi continued to stare at her retreating back, speculatively now. He wasn't so sure he believed her rather flimsy sounding excuse for her current condition. _'But why won't she tell me what's bothering her?'_

What if she'd been lying to him during their get together at his house as well? He was perplexed at the thought that perhaps Anzu had been keeping the truth about how she was feeling from him for a long time. 

_'Let me talk to her later.'_ It was Yami's voice speaking to him telepathically through their mental link. _'Perhaps she feels that telling someone as kind as you would only be a burden to you. She probably didn't speak at the party either because she was afraid that she'd worry everyone.'_

_'But...'_ Yugi trailed off. If that was the case, then he really couldn't do anything about it. He knew how stubborn she could be. _'Let's catch her after school then.'_

* * *

"And by dividing each side by the square of-" 

_/ "Mine... You're mine and only mine..." /_

Anzu flinched. _'Why am I thinking about that right now?'_ She pressed a hand to her forehead and nearly recoiled when her fingers came in contact with too hot skin. _'Am I feverish?'_ She pinched the bridge of her nose when a particularly painful ache flashed through her head. 

_/ "Stop saying that!" She screamed, running as fast and far away she could from the voice. Her legs felt as though they weighed a ton each and she was quickly tiring... /_

"Class is dismissed for lunch!" The students hurried out. Anzu only barely registered the quick, 'see you later' called out by Shura as she walked out the door. 

"Anzu?" She blearily looked up. 

"Honda?" She murmured. 

"You don't look so good... You want me to take you to the nurse's office?" She shook her head, straightening in her seat. 

"I'm fine... You go ahead and find Yugi... I'll join you guys later." 

"Okay... but-" 

"Honda..." 

"I'm going, I'm going..." He left the room. 

_/ "It's the truth and you know it..." The voice was placid and devoid of any form of distress. Just calm. And very much insane. /_

"Nmph..." She winced and stumbled forward as she tried to stand. 

"You should have let him take you." She nearly fell over at the sound of the voice. She directed her attention to the direction it had come from. _'Kaiba?'_

"I'm fine." She hid her surprise at finding Yugi's rather handsome rival still in the classroom with her. 

"It doesn't seem that way." She glared at him. 

"I can take care of myself you know." 

_/ "Help! Somebody, please!" /_

"Can you?" His voice was filled with amusement this time and a smirk graced his lips. 

Anger rising, Anzu took a large step in the infuriating male's direction and prepared to give him a piece of her mind. "I'll have you know-" 

_/ "No one will help you, Anzu-chan... I'm the only one for you...the only one left..." Hands closed over her... /_

A glance of Kaiba's face, which was for once, completely lax with surprise, was the last thing Anzu saw before she lost consciousness. 


	2. Shakes

****

02 : Shakes

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP**

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:   
And we go into more detail here... by the way, has anyone read 'Deathnote'? It's a kickass manga! For those who love suspense and strategy (there are some in here that will blow you away) read this manga! **

* * *

_  
A glance of Kaiba's face, which was for once, completely lax with surprise, was the last thing Anzu saw before she lost consciousness. _

* * *

The second her eyes opened, she regretted allowing them to do so. Sunlight immediately assaulted the slit openings and she winced at the painful feeling. "Ugn..." She moaned, shutting her eyes again and shifting on the bed she lay on. She pressed a hand to her eyes, effectively covering them from the sun's glare. 

"Anzu!" She froze, slowly pulling her hand away and squinted so she could see better. 

"Yugi?" She groaned softly, her voice betraying exactly how tired she felt. She smiled despite her condition. It was nice of him to be by her side. She couldn't quite recall why she was in bed and why he would have to be there, but she was sure that it had something to do with him checking on her. He was always doing that, sweetheart that he was. She was forever grateful for the fact that he was her friend. "How did I get here?" 

"Um... That's the interesting part. Kaiba carried you all the way here." 

The warm fuzzy feelings drained away pretty quickly after that. 

"Ohh..." She pulled the bed sheets over her head as the memory of what happened before she passed out came back to her. _'I fainted right in front of Kaiba! Gah... how embarrassing!'_ She shook her head. _'I hope he was nice enough to at least catch me...'_ It was at this time when Yugi's words finally sunk in. "KAIBA DID WHAT!?" She tried to wrap her brain around the very idea of the man doing such an uncharacteristic thing, but found it impossible, as she couldn't even begin to comprehend the sentence itself. 

"Anzu?" Yugi's voice broke through her panicked and overloading thoughts. 

"Yes?" She called out from under the covers. 

"Are you... um... why don't you get out from under there?" He couldn't comprehend the Kaiba issue any better than Anzu did and therefore chose not to discuss it. He sighed when she didn't budge. "Please? Every other thing aside, I really want talk." 

Reluctantly, she lifted the sheets off her head and sat up, but her eyes wouldn't meet his. "So talk." She said, realizing that her friend was serious. 

There was a shifting noise beside her and a deeper voice replaced Yugi's. "That's what I plan on doing." Anzu's head snapped to where Yugi previously sat. _'The other Yugi...'_ She fought back a blush. She usually made the distinction by the sudden height difference and maturing of his face features. 

"W-why are you-" She stuttered. He hardly ever came out unless a matter of great importance arose. 

"Yugi tells me that you haven't been sleeping well." 

"Y-ya... but that's nothing!" She smiled. "I just need to readjust my schedule and find a better pillow, then before you know it, I'll be fine!" 

"You're lying." He was giving her a disapproving look now. Anzu tried to keep from blushing again. "You can tell me the truth you know. Yugi can't hear or see anything that's going on now. I've closed our telepathic link completely." 

"I'm fine." She said again, gripping the bed sheets tightly. She wanted to get away from Yami, so she could avoid his piercing stare. She was having a hard enough time as it is, keeping the truth from Yugi, thus keeping him from worrying about her needlessly. Even if their link had been closed, she was sure that Yami would later tell Yugi about what was bothering her, and even if he didn't, she wasn't happy about the idea of them keeping secrets from each other. It just didn't seem like a healthy thing for the type of bond they shared. 

"Who are you trying to convince?" He surprised her by taking a hold of her chin and gently turning her head back to face him. 

_'This is...'_ She couldn't find the right word for how she felt. Her heart was beating erratically and she felt faint again. _'His face is really close to mine.'_ She could see right into his amethyst eyes and doing so made her stomach turn over and her body warm up in a nice way. 

Anzu had had a crush on Yami for a long time now. Ever since he'd saved her from the criminal at Burger World and later from her perverted gym teacher, she'd found that her feelings for Yugi's other self were only becoming stronger. But so far, all she could be sure of was that his feelings for her were purely platonic - never mind the fact that he was currently only inches away, looking straight into her eyes and holding her chin so that she wouldn't turn away. Anzu was sure that **she** was the only one thinking about something other than her sleeping problems. Yami was just too... businesslike all the time - even now she could see that he didn't have a clue or didn't care, that what he was doing was having an embarrassing effect on her. 

She abruptly pulled back from his hold. "I'm not trying to convince anyone but you. You're worrying about nothing." Anzu said sharply, eyes focused on a small piece of lint on her blanket. Silence followed her answer and Anzu, realizing how angry she must have sounded quickly tried to make up for it. "I'm sorry." She whispered. She shut her eyes and pressed her face into one of her hands. 

_'I think someone is stalking me.'_

"I just... it's just becoming a little stressful - the transition from grade ten to eleven." She lied instead. 

"Anzu..." She looked up. "Yugi and I... Jounouchi and Honda, all of us are here for you." He gave her a warm smile - one that he reserved only for his friends. "So if something like this was bugging you all along, you should have just told us so we could try and help you out." 

_'So instead of lying, tell me what's really bothering you.'_ Yami couldn't understand why Anzu was being so adamant about keeping her problems to herself, especially since she was always so intent on helping everyone else in anyway she could. _'She's nice to the point of being a hypocrite.'_ He mused. 

"Thanks." She smiled - again in that almost unnoticeably strained way. 

Inwardly, Yami sighed out of exasperation.

* * *

They'd parted ways about a block from her house. That was where the road that led to his house split from hers. On thinking about it, Anzu was glad that she hadn't told Yami about her problem. Otherwise, he'd of probably wanted to escort her all the way home - something that would have made her feel immensely guilty about since it was already beginning to get dark. She felt bad enough already that he'd waited so long for her to wake up. Not that she'd had any control over that. 

She froze when something skittered behind her. It abruptly became silent. She took another step and the sound appeared again. 

Someone was tailing her. 

Nervously, she picked up her pace, scanning her surroundings repeatedly as she tried to find out who was. She couldn't see anyone though, no matter how hard she looked. 

Finally after what seemed like forever, her house came into view. She quickened her pace and sprinted to her house until she reached the door. 

Panting heavily now, eyes bright with terror, she pulled out her keys and fumbling for a few seconds, pushed in the right one and dashed inside, slamming the door behind her. She locked the door securely, and it wasn't until she heard the bolt sliding into place, that she allowed herself to relax, partially slumping against the door. Trying to calm her still rough breaths, she leaned forward and looked out of the peephole, checking for her pursuer. 

A hand fell onto her shoulder. 

Anzu screamed and spun around. 

"Anzu-chan?" Anzu, clutching her chest, nearly cried with relief. 

"Mom..."

* * *

"Anzu-chan?" Shura said worriedly. "You look tired...no, even more tired than you usually do. Are you okay?" 

"Ya, I have to agree with her. You look worse than you did at the party." Honda said. 

"Thanks. As for how I feel... I feel perfect. Never better." Anzu mumbled back. She felt like newly raised zombie. She tried not to wobble - a task made easier by the fact that she was sitting and partially supported by her chair and desk. Her two friends exchanged looks. 

"No, really... You don't look well at all... Anzu-chan, what's that in your hand?" She had been clutching an envelope sealed with a heart sticker. 

"A love letter. Haven't opened it yet." 

"Really!? Open it! That's so exciting!" Shura spun around so she could look at the clock that was hung up near the ceiling on the back wall. "There's at least a minute before Uzume-sensei comes!" 

"Shura-kun..." 

"Aw come on. I promise I won't make fun of you later." Honda said. 

"Please?" 

"Okay, okay..." Anzu, tired of being prodded, gave in. Quickly opening the envelope, she took out the letter and held it out in front of her so Honda and Shura could read it themselves. 

_

Dearest Anzu-chan, 

_

I saw you last night and   
you're as pretty as ever.   
Running like that... I just thought,   
'How beautiful and graceful she looks!'   
One day you'll be running to me   
instead of HIM. 

Sincerely,   
The One Who Loves You

Hands trembling, Anzu took a few deep breaths and tried not to burst into tears right then and there. 

"Anzu! You okay?" Honda noticed how pale she'd turned. 

"I-I'm fine!" She crumpled the note. "Just weirded out... It's nothing." 

"Bu-" 

"Everyone in your seats! NOW." Uzume-sensei had arrived and was making sure everyone was aware of the fact.

* * *

_  
'Someone is watching me.'_ Anzu's hand gripped the hem of her skirt so tightly that her knuckles became white. _'But from where? I can never figure out...'_ She forced herself to exhale. _'Come on... How hard could it possibly be to find a stalker!?_ She glanced at the clock. _'When the bell rings for lunch, I'll casually just sort of stay behind and take a look around the classroom. No big deal.'_ She was shaking now. That terrible feeling... 

The bell for lunch rang and losing all resolve, Anzu dashed to the door and was the first one out.

* * *

"Uh... Anzu, that's my lunch...wrapper. Are you sure that there isn't something else wrong then lack of sleep?" Jounouchi tugged the plastic material from his friend's mouth. 

"Nope. Just need more sleep." Anzu mumbled, picking up her own lunch this time. 

"And evidently new eyes." Honda said, plucking the plastic bag Anzu had been chewing on from her mouth. Anzu reached out again, this time grabbing her sandwich - this was attributed to the fact that Yugi had hurriedly unwrapped it and placed it right into her hand when he saw her nearly pick up his fork. 

_'I'm sorry. I couldn't get her to tell me anything.'_ Yami sighed, shrugging from the soul room. _'She wouldn't reveal anything.'_

_'I'll try then.'_ Yugi thought determinedly. _'Maybe... if I beg hard enough, she'll tell me something.'_ He chose to ignore Yami's eyes roll at this suggestion.

* * *

_  
'I'm going to go nuts.'_ She stared at the clock. She'd still had no luck in locating her stalker and her prior resolve to just stay after school to try and find him was quickly crumbling under the suffocating feeling that she was being watched. _'Only a few minutes... I just have to stay a few...'_ The bell rang and she forced herself to stay still and pack her things slowly. 

"Bye Anzu-chan!" Shura said as she passed. Anzu waved quickly and looked around in a somewhat discreet manner. 

"Hey, Anzu, you coming?" Honda was by her desk now - _'And blocking half my view!'_ She shook her head. 

"You go ahead, Honda. I'm just going to make sure I have all my stuff." 

"Okay... the guys and I'll be just outside the school then." He left. Anzu took a quick survey of the room behind her and let out a sigh of exasperation. Everyone else had already left. 

But that terrible feeling still hadn't gone away. 

Breathing a little faster, she threw the rest of her things into her bag and jumped up, eager to get out. 

"Umph!" Anzu stepped back, having bumped into someone in her hurry to get home. "I'm sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!" _'Someone is still here?'_

"That much was obvious, Mazaki." Her eyes shot open. 

"Kaiba!" She frowned. "Why are you always here after school?" 

"I prefer to finish my homework here than bother with it at home." Her jaw nearly dropped to the ground. 

"You've finished everything already!?" He smirked. 

"When you learn not to compare me to you or your friends, you'll stop being surprised at what I can do." Anzu's eyes narrowed at the insult. But instead of sending one back at him, she did something that threw him off. 

"Thank you." The smirk disappeared, replaced with a look of incredulity. 

"What?" He gave her a look that suggested he thought she needed psychological help. 

"Thank you for carrying me all the way to the nurse's office. That was really nice of you." She said sincerely. 

"You're not going to faint again are you?" He said, eying her. Today, she appeared to be in even worse shape than before. 

"Why, you going to just leave me where I fall this time?" Anzu asked testily. 

"It wouldn't be a bad idea." He answered snidely. "Maybe then you'll faint around someone else and save me the pain of dragging you to the nurse's room. You're no lightweight you know." 

"Why you insufferable...bas-" Anzu bit her tongue. _'It's not like I chose to faint in front of you!_ She had no time to bicker with him anyway. Honda, Jounouchi and Yugi were still waiting for her outside. "You're not worth my time." She forced out through gritted teeth, talking mostly to herself than him. "Goodbye Kaiba." And with that, she stormed out without looking back, insides burning with barely suppressed rage. 

She was so caught up in her anger, that she didn't notice Nato Juban standing a few feet behind her, standing partly behind a corner. His eyes followed her every move until she disappeared behind the front double doors of the school. 


	3. Slipping

****

03 : Slipping

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP**

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:   
La de da**

* * *

_She was so caught up in her anger, that she didn't notice Nato Juban standing a few feet behind her, standing partly behind a corner. His eyes followed her every move until she disappeared behind the front double doors of the school._

* * *

_

Dearest Anzu-chan, 

_

I was looking at you all day yesterday.   
I wasn't happy to see you with HIM.   
Then another one dared to come near you.   
I'm so angry...   
Stay away from them.   
They don't know how special you are.   
They don't realize you're **mine.**

Sincerely,   
Closer to You

Anzu shut her eyes as she pressed her forehead against her closed locker. 

_'I can't... take this anymore... I just...'_ She'd come to school earlier that day to see if she could catch the person sending her the letters. She'd hidden herself around a corner so that she would be able to get a glimpse of anyone that entered the school from the front and went to her locker. Even if they came up behind her, she'd of still gotten at least an idea perhaps, of anyone that went by her locker in the morning. It had turned out to be a failure as a plan though, because all she'd accomplished was getting to school extra early. No one particularly suspicious had arrived and when there were people who walked by her locker, even after seeing her standing nearby no one had acted strangely or flustered in anyway. 

She perked up when the sound of the front doors opening reached her ears. Someone strikingly familiar came into view. 

_'Ryou!'_ She hadn't seen the man in at least a month. The last she'd heard of him, he'd gone for an extended summer vacation that went into the school year to collect himself after the Yami Bakura fiasco. 

"Ryou-kun!" She called. He noticed her right away and ran to her excitedly. 

"Anzu-kun! Hi! It's been a while hasn't it?" 

"I'll say! Not to sound rude or anything, but what brings you here all of a sudden?" 

Ryou smiled. "Just the end of my extended vacation. I'm going to be attending school here from now on." 

"That's great!" She grinned sincerely for the first time in days. "I can't wait until the others hear about this!" 

"Me neither- ah, Anzu-kun? What's that?" 

"Eh?" She followed the path his eyes took and found herself looking at the stalker's letter to her clutched tightly in her hand. "O-oh, this? N-nothing!" She laughed weakly. 

"Ooohh... I see. Been receiving love letters have we?" Ryou teased. He had mistaken her fearful uneasiness for nervous embarrassment. 

"Ha... you saw right through me... can't get anything past you..." She wondered if she sounded as lame to him as she did to herself. 

He didn't seem to notice however, or forgot about it if he did since instead of commenting, he pointed at the back of the sheet of paper she was holding. "There's something written on the back you know." 

"What?" She turned the paper around and looked at the print on the back Ryou had pointed out to her. 

_

I can't trust them. I can't trust anyone.   
I know you wouldn't betray me, but THEY can't be trusted to stay away from you.   
Today, I'll kill those two for you.   
Then, I'll kill anyone else who goes too close to you. Just watch, Anzu-chan.   
I'll protect you from everyone who tries to touch you.

_

Anzu's mouth went dry and she could hear her blood rushing in her ears. The letter fell from her hands and fluttered to the floor. _'Oh no... Yugi!'_ Her mind raced to figure out who else she'd been with the day before. _'Come on... think! Who else was I with yesterday!? Jounouchi? Honda? No... I have no time for this!'_

"Anzu-kun? What's wrong?" Ryou looked at the distressed brunette with great concern, noticing her suddenly horrified expression. "What did the letter say?" 

"I-I have to go..." Almost mechanically, she stooped down to pick up the offending piece of paper she'd dropped - a task made difficult by her badly shaking hands - pushed it into her locker through the top door crack, and ran down the hallway to the doors leading outside without so much as a goodbye to Ryou. 

"Anzu-kun-!" He called, but she had already gone out.

* * *

The schoolyard had already begun to fill up with people. Anzu burst into the yard and looked around frantically. She felt a giant flood of relief when her three closest friends finally walked in through the school gates. 

"Yugi! Jounouchi! Honda!" She yelled. 

"Anzu!" The three jogged forward to greet her. 

"Yugi!" She looked over him concernedly. "Are you okay?" 

"...Ya..." He frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?" 

"...Eh... well-" Anzu tried to think of a good answer. 

"And what was so important that you had to go to school an hour earlier today?" 

"...Um-" 

"Woah... hey look." Honda pointed towards the school, interrupting Anzu's bumbling attempts to think of a good excuse. 

"Um... That's what they use to get up to the upper level windows so they can clean them." Jounouchi said as a matter of factly, looking at the pulley-controlled platform for multiple-story building window washers. It had been placed at the third floor. "Aside from the fact that it's empty, what's so interesting about it?" 

"Not that dufus, them!" Honda physically directed Jounouchi's gaze by shoving down his head so that he was looking at the people talking underneath it. 

"Kaiba and Nato!" Jounouchi blinked, then shrugged. "Maybe it's not as weird as you think. Two jerks socializing with each other isn't that farfetched you know." 

"Kaiba?" Anzu whispered, something suddenly tugging urgently at the back of her head. 

"Uh... ya... Kaiba? Jerk? Guy who always insults us?" Jounouchi said slowly. "You okay Anzu?" 

"Kaiba..." She said again. "Yesterday, I..." 

"Anzu?" Yugi frowned. "What about Kaiba? What happened yesterday?" 

"I talked to him yesterday..." 

"You what!?" All three boys gaped at her in shock. 

"You chatted with that loser?" Jounouchi gaped in disbelief. 

"Jounouchi! Kaiba's our friend now! ...Uh, sort of anyway." Anzu barely heard the commotion though. Something, or rather someone was on the roof of the school, but she couldn't make out whom. The person however, was right where the ropes and cables holding the window washers' platform were. She broke into a dead sprint even before she saw the platform lurch dangerously. No one else had noticed. 

"Watch out!" She screamed, her legs taking huge strides with each running step. She sped past curious onlookers, glad that it was still quite early and not many people inhabited the yard and thus didn't hinder her way. 

It all happened within a second, but for Anzu, it felt much longer than that. 

All of the cables holding up the platform snapped simultaneously. Nato had already left, seemingly having finished talking. Kaiba on the other hand had been distracted by the piercing _twang_ of the cables snapping and he'd looked up, only to see the quickly descending platform heading his way. 

"Kaiba!" Anzu propelled herself forward once she'd gotten close enough and tackled the man. Dimly, she heard the crash of the platform behind them as they hit the ground a few inches away, and the screams of all the students who'd witnessed the event. 

"Anzu! Kaiba-kun!" Yugi, Jounouchi and Honda, as well as a few others ran to the two. 

"Damnit..." Kaiba groaned. "What the hell just-" He opened his eyes to see Anzu atop of him. "Mazaki!?" 

She coughed, trying to clear some of the dusty dirt that she had partially swallowed. "Kaiba." She croaked. "You okay?" 

"I'll answer that after you get off me." Blushing, she hurriedly rolled off of him and sat up, coughing some more. 

"Anzu!" She looked up to see Yugi, Jounouchi and Honda huddled anxiously around her. "Are you okay!?" 

"I-I..." A crowd had formed around them, all murmuring excitedly about what had just happened. 

"Everyone, get back!" A teacher forced her way through the crowd so that she was in the center of it. "Go back to your classes!" She yelled. "NOW!" She screamed when nobody moved. As the crowd dispersed, she turned to Anzu and Kaiba. "You two, to the nurse's office. Now." 

"I'm fine." Kaiba brushed off his slightly dusty school uniform and stood. 

"The nurse will be the judge of that." The woman said sternly. She grabbed his arm and snatched up Anzu's arm in a vice-like grip and began to drag them to the infirmary. 

"O-ow-ow-ow! Tayu-sensei, please-!" Anzu winced. _'SHE'S the reason I'm going to need the nurse!'_ She was sure that the woman's grip was making her arm nearly come out of its socket.

* * *

Silence. 

The only two people in the room had no idea what to say to the other, or didn't want to say anything. They sat across from each other on separate beds, staring mostly at the floor. It was Anzu who finally decided to break the silence - unable to take it anymore. 

"You okay?" She said hesitantly. "You... didn't answer me back there - even after I got off you." She let out a feeble laugh that immediately died when she met his clearly not amused face. "I'm not _that_ heavy..." She murmured. She let out a sigh. 

"I'm fine." He answered after a small moment of quiet. "Although, me being fine could be considered quite the miracle after the way you attacked me earlier." 

"I was making sure that you didn't get killed!" Anzu stood up, glaring at him indignantly. "If I hadn't done it, you would have-" 

_Today, I'll kill those two for you._

_'That's right... All this, is really my fault... and I still have to make sure that Yugi doesn't get hurt! ...But first I have to somehow keep Kaiba alive and out of this from now on... He may be a jerk sometimes, but he really cares for his brother - who's growing up to be much nicer than him, so he MUST be doing something right...'_

Realizing that she'd taken a few steps in Kaiba's direction and was currently staring down at his face - now sporting a curious expression, Anzu backed up, falling back to sit down on the bed on her side again. "I'm glad you're okay." She said quietly. "Mokuba would have been devastated if anything happened to you." 

It became silent again. 

"This is the second time." 

"Huh?" She uttered intelligently, looking up in surprise. 

"This is the second time you've done something for us." He regarded her quizzically. "What's in it for you?" Anzu glared at him. 

"Nothing! I can't believe you're asking me such a thing! I saved Mokuba before because I could. I saved you today because I could. That's all." She huffed. "When you stop comparing me to you, you'll stop being confused." She nearly choked after the words left her mouth - they were nearly the same ones Kaiba had thrown her way a few days before. 

There was a short, deep chuckle that - Anzu was ashamed to admit - made her inwardly squirm with delight. He had a very nice voice. "I wouldn't waste my time on something stupid like that. Not when it concerns you anyway." She forced down another surge of anger, glad nonetheless that it was there. It was like a slap that reminded her of the most important thing about Kaiba - no matter how sexy he was he would always be a jerk. Which allowed her to be friends with the guy, but nothing more. 

"It's a good thing that Nato left before it happened, otherwise I would have saved him instead. I bet HE would have been nicer to me after." Anzu shot at him. She frowned then, something striking her as strange. _'He got out of there at a pretty convenient time... didn't he?'_

"Kaiba?" 

"What?" 

"What were you and Nato talking about before the accident?" He raised an eyebrow at her. 

"That's none of your business." 

"Come on!" She made a small sound of frustration. "Tell me as a way of paying me back for saving your life." 

"I thought you said that you expected nothing from me?" 

"Kaiba!" She lowered her voice when the silhouette of a teacher appeared at the shaded window of the office. She swallowed her pride. "Please." He gave her a strange look. 

"...He just wanted to know if I would be hosting another duel monsters tournament." 

"Oh..." Deflated, Anzu shrunk a little where she was sitting. "Nothing else?" 

"I thought you were interested in Yugi. What, the height difference turned you off?" He snickered. "I didn't think you would be desperate enough to go for someone like Nato." 

"Shut up Kaiba! And it's not like that!" Anzu wanted to hit the infuriating man badly. "I just..." She let out a loud sigh. _'Maybe I'm just paranoid... I mean, I can't really be sure that Nato was staring at me in class during detention before...besides, someone was on the roof when it happened. Nato probably just got out of there at the right time...'_

"Mazaki-san." She blinked, hearing her name. 

"Yes?" The teacher walked to her and handed her an envelope with her name neatly handwritten on the back. 

"This is for you. Please be careful of your things, had I been someone else, this might not have been returned to you." Anzu's eyes widened when she recognized the familiar envelope type and trademark heart sticker on the flap. 

"T-thank you..." She froze. _'What if-!'_ She stood up quickly. "Tayu-sensei!" The woman stopped at the door. 

"What is it, Mazaki-san? And please sit down, the nurse will be with you once she's completed her meeting with the school principal." 

"Sorry..." She sat down. "Please... tell me, did you see anyone near this letter before you picked it up?" The woman rolled her eyes. 

"Don't be silly Mazaki-san. This was near the site of the accident where you and Kaiba were and a great deal of people as well. I assumed you'd dropped it during that... heroic act... perhaps you should refrain from being quite so active. You look quite tired." The woman said, noting the dark circles around the girl's eyes. 

"Oh... Thank you." She said. "Oh! And one more thing!" 

"Rest for now, Mazaki-san." Tayu said as she left the room, not letting Anzu finish. 

She sighed and sat back down forlornly. 

Kaiba glanced at her curiously, noting her suddenly gloomy air, but didn't comment. He'd never been the nosy type and when it came right down to it, he simply didn't care about what was going on in anyone else's life - least of all someone as annoying as Anzu Mazaki. Worrying about her was something he left to Yugi and the other groupies that she was always hanging out with. 

"Hey, Kaiba?" 

"What?" If this was another stupid question, lifesaver or not, he would ignore her. 

"I'm sorry about today. If I really did hurt you when I tackled you... I'm sorry." She said quietly. 

"You're apologizing for something insignificant." He gave her a weary look before getting up and heading for the door. 

"Ah- where are you going?" 

"I'm leaving. This is pointless." 

"But Tayu-sensei-" 

"I really don't care." He said shortly. He left. 

"Woah, what was his problem?" A blond entered the room promptly after Kaiba's exit, followed closely by a taller brown-haired guy. 

"What are you guys doing here!?" Anzu demanded, shooting up from her seat. "You're supposed to be in class!" 

"Skipped." Jounouchi said carelessly. "Yugi wanted to know how you were. And since Honda's not in my class, I couldn't tell him that I'd be checking on you, so he skipped too." 

"Oh, you guys..." She hugged them. "This is the last time I'm ever going to say this when you break the rules, but this is so sweet of you!" 

"Okay, okay... Not that I don't appreciate the heartfelt thanks, but what if someone sees us?" Honda said, patting her back awkwardly. "Now that we know you're okay, we gotta get out of here." 

"I'd say it's too late to worry about that." The three froze at the sound of a stern, icy voice coming from the door. Jounouchi and Honda spun around, pulling from Anzu quickly. 

"Shii-" 

"Shut up! We're in enough trouble!" Honda yelped, elbowing Jounouchi hard. 

"I'll say..." Anzu said weakly, trying not to cringe under Tayu-sensei's terrifying death glare. 


	4. Scare

****

04 : Scare

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP**

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:   
And the plot thickens...**

* * *

_"I'd say it's too late to worry about that." The three froze at the sound of a stern, icy voice coming from the door. Jounouchi and Honda spun around, pulling from Anzu quickly. _

"Shii-" 

"Shut up! We're in enough trouble!" Honda yelped, elbowing Jounouchi hard. 

"That's an understatement..." Anzu said weakly, trying not to cringe under Tayu-sensei's terrifying death glare.

* * *

Detention for the eleventh graders had been stationed in room 3B that day. 

The teacher in charge of watching the students had gone out for a while to get something to eat and some of the kids were taking advantage of this. 

"Haha, you got caught too!" Jounouchi laughed seemingly randomly and pointed at Kaiba, who snarled back at him. 

"It's not my fault the teachers are so worried about getting sued for letting me go without being checked up." 

"Not that I totally blame them. Their paychecks ARE pretty pathetic." Honda commented. 

"Honda!" Anzu chided him. "That's mean!" 

"What? It's true!" 

"Man...this is pretty sad..." Jounouchi murmured. "I just noticed right now, but practically the whole group is stuck in detention. All we need is Yugi to join us, but the chances of THAT happening are pretty slim." 

"Yugi is pretty well behaved..." Anzu found her concentration waning as the sick feeling that she was being watched returned. She spun around in her desk, thankful for the fact that the teacher had gone out for a little while, to get a good look at whom else was in the room. 

_'Jounouchi... Honda... Kaiba... Yujo... Ari... and Nato.'_ She shrunk a little within her seat. _'Nato... is always around when something strange happens. But I saw someone on the roof while he was talking with Kaiba, so he couldn't be the one...'_ He wasn't even looking at her at the moment anyway. She turned back to face the board and tried to ignore the urge to scream that was slowly building up within her chest. It was like trying to keep the stopper on a boiling kettle from bursting off. 

"So what do you want to do later?" Jounouchi asked Honda and Anzu casually. 

_'No one is watching me. There's nothing to be afraid of.'_

"Eh, wanna just hang out?" Honda stretched in his stiff, wooden chair. "Got nothing important to do." 

_'Nobody here is after me... I'm going to be perfectly fine.'_ She tried to keep her breaths even. 

Sweating, Anzu tried to sound normal as she retorted with much difficulty, "Homework Honda! We got so much assigned to us today!" 

"And I say again, nothing really important." 

Anzu shut her eyes when another wave of fear overtook her. _'No one... is watching me. I'm not in any danger... I'm not-'_

_But someone else is_

_'Shit! How could I forget!?'_ Gasping, she stood up abruptly in her seat, startling everyone in the room. "Tell Tayu-sensei I'll be back!" She briskly strode to the door. 

"What!? Anzu!" Jounouchi yelped. "Do you know how much trouble you'll be in if she comes back and sees you're not here!?" 

"Tell her it was urgent!" She pushed the door open and dashed out before anymore was said. 

_'Yugi!'_

* * *

"I've got to get to him." She murmured. Someone had already tried to kill Kaiba, which told her that this person was dead serious about his threats. She was terrified, but for Yugi's sake, she had to be strong. Perhaps she'd finally see who was behind everything. 

"Yugi." Anzu whispered. "Please be okay." 

She was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't see the hands come out of the classroom she'd just passed. They snatched her around the waist and held her flailing arms to her sides. _'Too strong-!'_ Anzu screamed for all she was worth and kept thrashing, even if it was in vain, as she was dragged into a classroom. 

A blindfold was forced around her eyes, just before she was slammed into a wall. 

It happened so quickly. 

"NO! Sto-" She couldn't finish as a hot mouth slammed over hers, sucking, while hands desperately roved over her- 

_'NO!'_

"Let go!" Anzu screamed. She lashed out at her captor, desperately trying to get free. Her nails caught the side of her assailant's face and immediately, the hands holding her so tightly, jerked back, releasing her. Anzu shoved the body away from her and burst from the room, running as fast as her legs could carry her. Her hands fumbled at the blindfold around her eyes and ripped it off. She couldn't let go of the fabric - a vivid reminder of what had just transpired - fast enough. 

_'Help me!'_ Her mind, still blurred in a hurricane-like rush of panic, told her that someone was still trying to catch her. Tears streamed from her eyes as she ran, streaking in horizontal lines from her eyes across the side of her face. 

She shrieked when she ran into something blocking her path to freedom and struggled furiously against the hands that'd come up and grabbed her arms. 

"Snap out of it!" A cold voice snarled. She froze and slowly looked up, half in shock. 

"K-kaiba..." She whispered, relief flooding into her hyper-tensed body. "It's only Kaiba..." 

He let go of her, seeing that she was in her right mind again and frowned at her disheveled appearance. Anzu, who was most of the time neat-looking, with her hair nicely done and clothes straight, looked like a car wreck. Her hair was mess up and all over the place, her clothes were wrinkled badly and had a rip down one of the pink sleeves of her jacket and tearstains were visible on her face. The only other things he noticed were her bruised lips. 

The news that detention had been cut short because Tayu-sensei had been caught up in some urgent business, could wait. 

Anzu whimpered, before she shocked the living daylights out of Kaiba by stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his middle tightly. She sobbed without restraint into his chest. 

Kaiba, feeling awkward and annoyed at the same time, grabbed her by the arms and pushed her back away from him reflexively. "What happened to you?" He demanded, harshness mostly gone from his voice. There wasn't any warmth in it either though. 

Thinking of her ordeal only served to make her feel worse. Anzu fell to her knees, holding herself and cried piteously. Only after what seemed like quite a long time, her sobs began to ebb away and sniffling, she unsuccessfully tried to dry all of her tears. There were just too many of them and she'd already soaked her jacket. 

"If there's something about you that I can count on, it's the fact that you're too damn inefficient in everything you do." Anzu's eyes widened when she saw the blue handkerchief before her face. Holding it, was Kaiba's hand extended down towards her. Hesitantly, she took it, staring at the cloth like it was a foreign object she'd never seen in her life. 

"Y-you-" She stuttered, unable to believe or understand what she was seeing. _'He's still here.'_ She hiccupped and as if taking it as a cue, furiously began to rub her face. When she was done, she shakily got back to her feet and held the crumpled cloth out to Kaiba. "Thanks." She whispered. 

He raised an eyebrow as he eyed the damp handkerchief and looked back at Anzu speculatively. "Keep it. I don't want it anymore." 

"Sorry." She said quietly, ignoring the insult she'd been dealt. 

The two remained where they were, as if frozen in the middle of the eerily quiet, white hallway. 

"Why are you still here?" She had expected him to leave after the 'sorry.' She'd expected him to leave long before that too. 

"What happened to you?" He didn't care much for her, but even he couldn't ignore someone who looked as though they'd just been attacked. He also felt obligated to return the favor she'd done him earlier, even if she'd already asked for something in return. For him, it had been too trivial a repayment on his part. 

_'Someone tried to...'_ She shut her eyes and looked away, folding her arms tightly around herself again. "Nothing." She said softly, tearing up again in remembrance. She took a step back. She'd already jeopardized his life once. Building up the last pieces of her waning energy, she took a deep breath and glared at him. "It's none of your business anyway!" 

"Stop acting like a brat." He grabbed her wrist and ignored her stuttered protests as he pulled her along with him. 

"K-kaiba! What are you-?" 

"Any idiot can see that you've been attacked. I'm taking you to a doctor." 

"I don't want to go!" 

"That really doesn't matter." 

"Kaiba! St- Tayu-sensei!" She gasped. Kaiba immediately let her go, knowing how bad he'd look to any outside observers. 

There was no one behind him. His eyes widened. _'That little- She lied to me! And I fell for it!'_ "Mazaki!" But she'd already sprinted out of sight. Kaiba, unwilling to go on a chase, growled in disgust over the fact that he'd fallen for such a stupid trick, and left. 

Around the next corner, once Anzu was completely sure Kaiba was gone, she let out a deep breath and slumped against one of the hallway walls. Try as she might though, she couldn't relax. She could _feel_ someone nearby. 

Watching her like he had for who knows how long. 

Or maybe it was her attacker's blood drying on her fingernails that made her feel that way. 


	5. Sick

****

05 : Sick

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP**

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:  
:) Have a nice day!  
WINTER VACATION!!! ...Is ending in two days TT. Oo, and things begin to develop in this chapter!**

* * *

_  
She could __feel_ someone nearby. 

Watching her like he had for who knows how long.

Or maybe it was her attacker's blood drying on her fingernails that made her feel that way.

* * *

"Mazaki Anzu." 

Fingers gingerly touched a face that had been clawed badly. The wounds had scabbed over only recently, but the rough rubbing over them reopened them. Blood trailed down pale, smooth skin and the feeling of it was relished.

"Pain is good sometimes. I should have been holding your hands. Lot of girls like that sort of thing right? I see couples holding hands everywhere. We'll do that one day. I wasn't trying to hurt you, you know. I wasn't. I was just...you're so beautiful. You're perfect. You glow, you shine... I couldn't help myself... It's okay, right? I scared you a little, but you showed me that I shouldn't have moved so quickly. That's okay. That's the kind of person you are. So pure. It's okay I touched you, right? It must be. Yes, right? Right? It is because my feelings for you justify it. I'm the only one who can touch you without making you dirty. I'm the only one. I'm the only one. The only one!"

A harsh hiss.

"I love you! Love is pure. No one else feels what I am for you. Not like I do. I understand you. I know everything about you. You're sweet, kind...how can anyone hate you? That's the problem. Too many strange people want to be close to you, want to touch you. I'll stop that from happening. You'll never have to be afraid of strange people again. I know how to care for you. I just had to touch you! I had to! You were glowing... You were beautiful. No...you ARE beautiful."

Heavy panting.

"Anzu, you're mine, right? You are...you are... You know it too. You saved me... You risked your life for me. You showed me how to be strong... And now I'll protect you. I promise. I'll keep you with me all the time and if I can't be with you, I'll keep you in a safe cage where you'll be safe for sure. No one will hurt you. No one will put his disgusting hands on you anymore. Those animals won't touch you, won't hold you, won't taint your purity with their dirty skin, their dirty selves..."

Neatly clipped fingernails scraped forcefully against the surface of a wooden table riddled with numerous sets of parallel scratches around a picture of Anzu that had been taped in the middle of the furniture top. The table was darkly stained with black splotches and smears.

"You're beautiful and I won't let anyone destroy that beauty. I'll kill... I'll kill them first... I'll kill them first. I'll kill them, I'll kill them, I'll kill them!"

The scratching became faster. Blood welled up from cut fingertips and drained into the gouges in the table.

"Don't worry love. Don't worry... You'll be with me soon. I'll be with you. We'll be together and...and..."

A soft, whispered moan.

"Anzu my dear... Anzu. Anzu. Anzu. I have to work hard for you to show you how much I love you. Mutou and Kaiba are as good as dead. I'll make sure of it. I'll get rid of them so they can never hurt you even if they tried. The dead don't return..."

Fingers gently traced the outline of Anzu's face in the photo.

"You're mine and I am yours. Forever."

Dark eyes became glazed over with lust.

"Wait for me love."

Blood dripped onto the faded photo of Anzu. A second later, lips pressed passionately against it, smudging the red liquid beads over the portrait.

* * *

Anzu breathed unsteadily, each intake of breath harsh and loud in the empty hallway. 

_The hand had slipped around her waist and yanked her into a room before she could react._

"No, no, no, no..." She shook her head, trying to force the images away.

_She couldn't see anything - a blindfold had been forced tightly over her eyes._

The mini-movie going on in her head wouldn't pause, stop or forward to a nicer one.

_A hot, wet mouth slammed over hers, brutally forcing a kiss from her unwilling lips..._

"STOP IT!" Anzu howled, clumsily leaping to her feet. Her nails scraped across the wall as she skittered up, and the terrible noise resulting from the action triggered something within her. She spun awkwardly until she was facing the wall - it was her opponent, it was the reason she'd been pinned and unable to go anywhere. "Let go of me! Let go of me!" She shrieked. Her hands slapped the vertical surface wildly. Her tears blinded her and the obscursion crazed her further. "Stop touching me!!! STOPITSTOPITSTOPIT! DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" She screamed her throat raw, palms of her hands slamming against the wall she'd been leaning against. She hit it, again, again, again and **AGAIN** because everything that had just happened was happening all over again and she was so **helpless** and **weak** and- She screamed again. Tears screamed down her cheeks and she sobbed for all she was worth, sinking down against the cold surface.

Her palms were red and numb because of the abuse they'd just taken.

"Help me..." Anzu whimpered, panting sickly. "Yu-"

"Mazaki."

Anzu froze. Slowly, she curled her arms around herself and tried to make herself as small as possible. She didn't turn around to see who it was. There was only one person she knew who addressed her that way and sounded so utterly detached.

_'Just go away...'_ She felt more tears creep forward and slither down her face.

"You're making enough noise to wake the dead."

"Go away." Anzu shut her eyes tightly, as if doing it would make the man behind her disappear.

"You're not well. I'm taking you to see a doctor."

"Nothing happened." Anzu hissed bitterly. "If that's what you're thinking. I got away before-" She trailed off, feeling too sick to say the words. Her eyes narrowed as fury began to bubble up within her stomach. "JUST LEAVE!"

"Fine." Anger tinged Kaiba's voice. He turned to leave, but stopped before he could take a step. _"Shit."_ He cursed under his breath. He pivoted on his right heel and stormed back to Anzu's small, huddled form. Then he leaned down and yanked her up.

"K-Kaiba-!" Anzu gasped. "N-no! What are you-"

"Shut up." He picked her up right off the ground, hooking his left hand under her knees and his right hand supporting her back.

She opened her mouth once or twice, but found herself at a loss for words.

_Kaiba_ was physically carrying her - to see a doctor no less. Kaiba was. Not Yugi, not Jounouchi, or Honda, but _Kaiba._

The absurdity of the situation was strangely humorous.

Anzu chuckled weakly before she could stop herself.

"Kaiba?" Anzu didn't wait for a response. She hadn't been expecting one at all in the first place really. "...you don't like me, right?"

He looked at her for a moment, stride faltering for only a split second because he'd been thrown by the bizarre quality of her question. It didn't take long for him to give her an answer however.

"Not particularly."

Anzu smiled. She closed her eyes and allowed her head to fall against Kaiba's shoulder. "Then you're not hurting anyone."

He glanced at her briefly in surprise, but only sighed. "You're delirious Mazaki."

She chuckled weakly. "Am I being weird? Hnn, Kaiba-_kun_?"

"More so than usual." He murmured, noting the kun she'd added to the end of his name. "I should just leave you here since you seem to have so much energy all of a sudden." Instead, Kaiba carefully readjusted his grip on Anzu so she was pressed up a little closer to his chest.

"Kaiba?" Anzu whispered.

He kept his eyes on the double doors at the end of the hall.


	6. Strange

****

06 : Strange

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP**

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:   
It's almost the end of highschool! **

Notes:   
Aibou - partner

* * *

_She chuckled weakly. "Am I being weird? Hnn, Kaiba-**kun**?" _

"More so than usual." He murmured, noting the kun she'd added to the end of his name. "I should just leave you here since you seem to have so much energy all of a sudden." Instead, Kaiba carefully readjusted his grip on Anzu so she was pressed up a little closer to his chest. 

"Kaiba?" Anzu whispered. 

He kept his eyes on the double doors at the end of the hall.

* * *

_"Crawl! Crawl! Crawl!" The chant echoed ceaselessly throughout the parking lot of Domino school. _

The helpless victim to where the chant was directed at simply curled up into a ball and tried to be as small as possible. 

"Come on, entertain us!" One boy's leg bent back, preparing to kick as hard as he could. 

It was after school hours and any teachers that could have stopped the abuse were either at home or watching diligently over students in detention. 

"Stop it!" The voices hesitantly stopped, and two pairs of heads turned to see who it was that'd interrupted them. 

The bundle in the center of the circle of delinquents stirred. 

"You'd better stop that! I saw you from the school windows and it won't be long until the other teachers I called see you too!" Anzu's eyes flashed with steady confidence and anger. "You'll regret it if you don't leave!" 

The boys didn't move and stared the girl down, waiting for her to waver, even the slightest. When she didn't, they grudgingly snorted and made rude remarks about nosey bitches before turning and leaving the parking lot and abandoning their victim. 

When they'd finally left, Anzu exhaled the breath she'd been holding during the entire confrontation. In truth, she had really been the only one who had seen the boys' attack, but she hadn't thought there'd be enough time to call someone else before they did something terrible. She slowly approached the shivering form. 

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked softly. "It'll be okay soon." She walked right to the person and gently reached out. "Hold on, okay? There'll be help soon-"

* * *

Kaiba glanced at Anzu from the corner of his eye - he had been doing so from time to time to make sure she wasn't on the verge of fainting or anything else equally troublesome. A deep frown was etched on her face and he wondered if it was because of the stress of her situation, or because she was experiencing some pain. He sighed, feeling annoyed that it was probably a better idea to ask, rather than wait for her to keel over from whatever she was suffering from - if that really was the case. "Mazaki. Are you in pain, or do you always look like you've just eaten a lemon?" 

"What?" Anzu glared at Kaiba. "No! To both those questions! I was just...thinking about something that happened a long time ago." Anzu shifted where she was seated. A little ways away, on her right, Kaiba sat on the opposite side of the car seat. "And in case you might be wondering, with that pompous attitude of yours, no, it wasn't anything to do with you." 

"Why you would think that I'd care about someone as insignificant as you thinking about me is a mystery." He murmured. 

"I heard that!" She growled. 

"That was the point." He said flatly. 

"Gnaannn!" Anzu supressed a cry of frustration and fumed quietly. _'Weird, weird man!'_ The messages Kaiba's words and actions gave were so contrary. Here he was, insulting her, yet less than an hour ago he had actually carried her from the school all the way to his limo. Not only that, but had also given gruff instructions to head for a clinic to the baffled chauffer who had greeted him just in front of the school gates and ignored his offers to carry her instead. 

Anzu sighed and bowed her head a little, feeling immensely uncomfortable. She didn't even know Kaiba that well. She'd certainly seen a lot of him - mostly on television, as the man WAS the CEO of a powerful company that sold products worldwide. The only other times she saw him was when he challenged Yugi to duels and during school because he incidentally shared one of her classes. Seeing as she really didn't know him that well and that Kaiba probably knew her even less, Anzu wondered what had possessed him to help her. _'Would it be weird to ask though?'_ She glanced as discreetly as she could at him, looking for something decipherable in his facial features she could use to infer whether saying something or not would annoy him. _'I can't tell anything just by looking at him.'_ She realized with slight awe and disappointment. _'Even the other Yugi is easier to read than Kaiba...'_

"Did you get a look at the guy who attacked you?" His voice was calm now. 

Anzu blinked with surprise at the question before casting her eyes down forlornly and shaking her head. "He put something over my eyes. I had no idea." She let out a shuddering breath as the incident came back to her. _'I wish Kaiba was still making me angry... it's better than this...'_ Her arms curled around herself and she squeezed her legs tightly together. "I was completely helpless." She whispered. "I couldn't even fight him." She stared at her fingers, which were still tinged at the tips with blood from her attacker. Her hands were shaking violently. "I scratched him. He let me go and I ran." She hiccupped as repressed sobs resurfaced from her chest. "I thought he would actually-" She shut her eyes, as if willing the terrible prospect away. 

She gasped when a large hand enveloped her stained hand. "K-Kaiba?" The boy had scooted over so that he was only a few inches from her. Anzu swallowed hard, squeaking when he brought her hand up near his face and inspected it. 

"This is his?" 

"Y-yes." She stared at him. "What are you-?" 

"If this is your attacker's blood, then you can use it to identify who he is." Kaiba looked thoughtful. "It'll only help if they already have the same blood in their directories to match with though." 

"...It's better than nothing. If it means catching that person..." 

"I said there's a chance. It's not definite." Anzu faltered visibly. 

"Maybe... but... it's still a chance." She murmured. She inched back towards the window and paused, realizing something. She shyly looked up at Kaiba. "Um..." She blushed. "You're still holding onto my hand." 

He promptly dropped it as if it were a hot coal, looking annoyed. He moved back to his side of the limo seat. 

"He didn't have to look so disgusted." Anzu felt indignation spike within her, but seeing as Kaiba was going out of his way to take her to a doctor, she concentrated on looking at everything passing by her window.

* * *

"You weren't sexually assaulted in anyway?" The doctor asked calmly. 

Anzu shook her head. "No. I got away before he could do anything." 

"Do you recall what he looked like?" 

She shook her head again. "I was blindfolded." 

"Are you hurt anywhere?" 

"No. All he did was grab me. I'm the one who hurt him." She gestured to her bloodstained fingers. "I came here to see if the blood on my hand could be matched with my attacker's somehow so I could find out who he is." 

"I'll take a few samples. Make sure you go to the police about this - I'll send the samples to them as evidence once a report has been filed." 

"Nm. I'll go to them after this. A friend insisted that I be checked for any injuries first." 

"Why don't I then? Some don't notice they've been hurt until very much later, when a seemingly harmless wound has become serious without attention." 

"Okay." Anzu agreed quietly.

* * *

"He's still here?" Anzu was surprised to find Kaiba's limo still parked outside the clinic. She stood where she was, bewildered by how the man was acting and wondered what she'd done to deserve such kindness from him. _'Saving his and Mokuba's lives. Right. This is still awfully nice of him-'_

The window rolled down and Kaiba's irritated face appeared. "What are you standing there for? You look like an idiot trying to mold. Get in already." The window rolled up again. 

"Nice? Did I really think that about Kaiba?" Anzu growled under her breath. "I must have been in a state of shock or something to say a dumb thing like that." She glared at the window where Kaiba's face had previously been as she walked towards it. She stood just in front of it and waited. 

The door opened and Anzu took a small step back to give it room to swing out. 

"What are you waiting for? Get in." 

"The police station isn't far from here. I'm going to walk." Anzu announced. She smiled gratefully at him. "I know how much a bother this must have been for you, but the debt or whatever you're doing this for, has already been repaid." 

"I've already reported the attack for you." 

"What?" Anzu blinked. "You've already...?" _'What an efficient guy...'_

"Stop wasting my time Mazaki and get in. I'm sure you don't want to walk home alone with a stalker looking for you." 

"B-but-" 

Kaiba let out an impatient sigh and reached out, grabbing her wrist and dragged her into the car. Anzu, flabbergasted by Kaiba's actions, simply let him do so with little protest. 

_'I wonder what he's thinking about...'_ Anzu, having seated herself comfortably stared at Kaiba, sitting on the opposite side of the car seat - her on its right, him on the left. His face was slightly turned to look out the window and it gave her a chance to study his profile while she sorted out her thoughts about him. _'A handsome man... undoubtedly, but more often than not, it seems like that's his only positive trait. Today... he acted weird. Really weird and no matter how many times I try to explain his behavior... I simply can't find a logical answer for it. Not without suggesting that he did it just because he wanted to- BUT THAT OF COURSE MAKES NO SENSE!'_

"Why are you staring at me?" 

"Because I don't get why- wait what?" Anzu blinked rapidly to clear her head and gather her bearings. "Who's staring?" 

"Am I really that interesting to you Mazaki? And here I believed Yugi was your only infatuation." 

"Don't flatter yourself!" Anzu tried to fight the sudden flow of blood rushing to her face. "You just wish that was true!" 

"Don't say such idiotic things." He scoffed, averting his eyes from her. 

"Idiotic? Why you-" She snarled, rising up from her seat - never mind that the car was still in motion, hands clenched in tight fists. Eyes blazing, cheeks flushed from fury and embarrassment and hair strands in her face, Anzu was a sight to see. 

If Kaiba had noticed this, he gave no indication. "Here's your stop." He smoothly interrupted her before she could go on. 

"What?" Anzu froze. 

"Get out. It's your stop." He said flatly. 

"Well- good! There's few times I remember being happier than I am now to leave your car!" 

"Believe me Mazaki, the feeling is mutual." Kaiba's eyes were slightly narrowed, telling Anzu that he was getting close to being angry. "Now will you get out, or do you need an escort to guide you?" 

"Grrah!" Anzu spun around, deciding not to even dignify his insult with another and slammed the door behind her as soon as she'd gotten out. "The nerve of that man! Thinking that there's even a remote chance that I thought of him that way after the way he treats everyone!" She growled as she stomped toward her house. "Who could like a cocky guy like that, one with a stick firmly wedged up his-"

* * *

"-As soon as I get home Mokuba." Kaiba said patiently into the phone. "I'm sorry for running late today, I was...engaged with some important business. ...No, everything's fine. ...Ya. I'm on my way home right now. Sit tight for a little while, okay? See you." Kaiba hung up and sighed loudly. He looked at his cell phone wearily. "Late, because of her of all reasons." He leaned back in his seat, allowing his head to fall back a little. He hadn't even needed to go as far as getting her mad to make her forget about the attack for a little while. He couldn't remember a single moment in his life where he'd acted as idiotic as he had in the past two hours. 

"How stupid." 


End file.
